Alaskan Fishermen Hand Over Possible Spy Balloon to FBI
TL/DR –
Commercial fishermen in Alaska have found a suspicious object that officials believe might be another spy balloon. The FBI will transport the object to their lab in Quantico, Virginia, for further analysis, as it appears similar to a foreign-government owned surveillance balloon. This discovery follows a series of incidents involving high-altitude surveillance balloons, including a Chinese spy balloon that entered US territory through Alaskan airspace, part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military.
Alaska Fishermen Uncover Potential Spy Balloon, FBI to Investigate
Alaskan commercial fishermen have reportedly found what may be a spy balloon, sparking concerns among officials, according to three informed sources.
The FBI plans to meet the fishing vessel upon its return to port this weekend. The authority will transport the possible surveillance balloon to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia for comprehensive analysis.
Images of the object provided by the fishermen led the FBI to believe its resemblance with a foreign surveillance balloon warranted further investigation. However, the object’s exact nature remains unclear.
On Friday, the FBI confirmed being “aware of debris found off the coast of Alaska by a commercial fishing vessel” and pledged to “assist with the logistics of the debris recovery.”
High-altitude surveillance balloons caught US attention last year when a Chinese spy balloon drifted across US territory, entering through Alaskan airspace. As reported earlier, the US assessed this balloon was part of China’s extensive military surveillance program, which has conducted numerous missions globally.
Following the incident, China seemingly halted theprogram. Taiwan later accused Beijing of flying multiple balloons through its airspace.
After the balloon’s intrusion, the US improved its radar systems’ detection capabilities, addressing an awareness gap that previously allowed suspected Chinese spy balloons to traverse the US undetected.
This radar enhancement has allowed the detection of more unidentified objects. Following the Chinese incident, there were three additional shootdowns of high-altitude objects. Recently, NORAD intercepted and examined a balloon over the southwest, later dismissing it as a harmless hobby balloon.
The Pentagon stated the Chinese balloon did not gather intelligence while traversing US territory. However, US intelligence agencies discovered it used a US internet service provider for sending location data back to China.
While the balloon’s network connection was not utilized for transmitting intelligence, it stored navigational data and imagery for later use, which US officials have since studied.
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